Chapter 329: Don’t Take Risks

“Rein,” the operating doctor asked as he worked on Rein’s shoulder. “Does it hurt?”

“I know what you mean. It does hurt—but I can still bear it. I’ve tried to have this thing taken out without anesthetics or morphine. That’s what you call pain,” Rein said, his right hand pressed against his forehead, as if recalling those terrible things. “Someone holds you down, someone digs into your wound with their fingers. That feeling is not very pleasant.”

“Was that school really that terrible?” the battalion commander, who knew of Rein’s origins and had just learned of his injury, had also come. He sat beside Rein, watching the surgery.

“That school is said to have been closed by the Führer, because the test subjects inside—that is, us—all failed,” Rein said with a bitter smile. “The high commands of the two countries had a disagreement on the direction of soldier training. The Soviet Union believed that all soldiers should be brainwashed and trained into cold-blooded killing machines. This is the reason why I was severely abused in the school. I killed people, and I was also hunted… Later, this experimental project was ordered to be stopped by General Guderian, and I became one of the first and last victims.”

“Next time, don’t take risks so easily,” the battalion commander said with a sigh. “You are all a treasure of Germany. To lose you easily is not in our interest. So next time, you are not allowed to leave your tank again to carry out a dangerous mission alone. Understand?”

“Hehe, this time the situation was rather special. I had to teach my radio operator how to kill,” Rein said with a nod and a smile. “I will be careful. I won’t make things difficult for you, commander.”

“Clink.” The revolver bullet was taken out of Rein’s shoulder. The doctor casually tossed it onto the table at his side. “Beginning to suture the wound… you are very lucky. This bullet did not hit any vital parts, nor did it damage any blood vessels.”

“Thank you, doctor,” Rein said with an embarrassed smile, then closed his eyes wearily. “I’m a little sleepy. It might be from too much blood loss. I’ll be fine after a nap. Taking up a bed here… is it alright?”

As he said this, Rein had already fallen asleep. And Alice, who had been watching all of this, stood beside him, her eyes red, without speaking.

The battalion commander stood up, walked to Alice’s side, and patted her shoulder. “Alice, you’ve been at the front for some time now, and I haven’t had time to chat with you. I just happen to have some time today, so I’ll tell you what I wanted to say.”

He glanced at Alice and said with a sigh, “Of the women who come to the front, half become nurses, following the troops all over the place. A few become staff officers, helping the officers with some paperwork. Only a very small number actually go into battle to kill the enemy. It can be said that these girls are no less brave than men. I am also very honored that my unit has a girl like you who is so brave for her country.”

“Rein is a hero of our battalion. To be with him—or rather, to be with his crew—is your good fortune,” the battalion commander said with some wistfulness, looking into the distance. “Don’t waste the grace that God has bestowed upon you…”

“Commander, I understand!” Alice said with a nod. “I will strive not to be a burden to tank 113! At the very least, I will not let Rein’s blood be shed in vain!”

“It’s good that you understand. I hope that something like today’s incident never happens again,” the battalion commander said as he walked out. “The ace of the armored forces, a recipient of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, actually running off to brawl with enemy infantry. What do you want me to say about you all! Sigh, he must really be willing to die for love…”

“…” Alice suddenly had the feeling that she wanted to cry but had no tears. How is it that after just going out for a spin with Rein, everyone thinks I’m his woman?

And at this very moment in the city of Amiens, the supreme commander of the French forces was on the phone with General de Gaulle in another sector. “I think the 9th Army has already shed its last drop of blood for France. I must now consider the question of surrender. On my front, an infantry division has already lost over half its strength. The defenses on the flank are in tatters. The 40 tanks you sent to support me have all been lost…”

De Gaulle’s face was also ashen on the other end of the line. He had mobilized tanks several times to engage the German army head-on, all of which had ended in failure. Especially the Battle of the Pass, which was simply an indelible shame in his life. He had sworn to take Stonne, but as a result, he had been utterly defeated at a small, nameless pass. And what had stopped him was not the massive German armored forces, but just a single Panther tank.

No one would be in a good mood after confirming this result. If you were to add that he later learned that this very Panther tank had now changed its appearance and had once again appeared in the direction of Amiens, de Gaulle seemed to have the urge to cry. Can’t you just go somewhere else? Do you have a grudge against me? How many times has it been? How long are you going to bully me like this?

He held the phone, as if he didn’t know what to say. After a long while, he finally mumbled, “General, if you surrender at Amiens, it will affect your reputation…”

“I don’t want to do such a disgraceful thing at a time like this either, but now I really have no other choice. If I don’t make this difficult decision now, then tens of thousands of French soldiers will be completely wiped out at Amiens,” the commander of the 9th Army said with difficulty. “Our ammunition is running low, and our losses are already unbearable.”

“You must know! In Belgium, we still have several hundred thousand troops! You cannot just give up! The place you are defending is almost the last channel for our main army’s southward retreat!” de Gaulle said with a frown. “I am trying to find a way to spare some troops. As long as you hold on for a few more hours, my tanks will launch an attack on the German flank and cover your troops in defending Amiens.”

“It’s too late! General de Gaulle… More than half of Amiens has already fallen into German hands. I am losing the lives of over a hundred soldiers every few minutes. My troops were originally assembled only to defend the flank. They lack ammunition and have not undergone long-term training. To be able to hold out until now is already the limit.”

“Can’t you hold on for France for just a few more hours?” de Gaulle’s tone was already pleading. “As long as you hold on for a few more hours, I will take over the defense of Amiens. Even if I have to fight to the last man, I, de Gaulle, will not retreat a single step! For France, I would rather die in battle on the walls of Amiens!”

“I can only hold on for another hour at most, General de Gaulle. At that time, my ammunition will be exhausted. My troops cannot fight the German army without weapons, so I don’t know what you plan to do, but this is all I can do,” the commander of the 9th Army said finally.

“Thank you! I thank you on behalf of the French people!” de Gaulle said, hanging up the phone. He then looked at his staff officer. “How many more troops can we gather? In the vicinity of Amiens! I will go to Amiens myself! Gather as many forces as you can!”

“Your Excellency, our several failures have already exhausted our reserve forces. Now our front line is riddled with holes, and our existing forces are simply unable to maintain the security of the entire line. If we were to withdraw more troops, I’m afraid it would cause the entire front to collapse…” the chief of staff said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “Even if we disregard the safety of the front, we can only gather a few dozen more tanks and about a battalion of infantry.”

“What? How can it be so few?” de Gaulle asked, looking at his chief of staff in surprise. He then quickly put his hand on the map and looked down. “Near Amiens, we were hit by the enemy’s special artillery fire and lost four tanks… Here we encountered an attack by an SS grenadier unit and had to leave a battalion behind to block them. Where is the 2nd Armoured Company? Where did that unit go?”

“Originally as a reserve force, the nine B1 tanks of this company were transferred to the assault force for the Battle of the Pass. At that time, our forces were not so insufficient, so we didn’t remind you of the transfer of troops,” the chief of staff said helplessly. “In fact, the forces that can reach Amiens within an hour are only about one company here, and the remaining seven tanks of the 2nd Armoured Company here.”

“Then have these troops hurry over! Scrounge up ammunition from the neighboring units in the vicinity! Send it all to the 9th Army! As long as they can hold on for one more hour, I can reinforce them with another dozen or so tanks and 500 soldiers!” de Gaulle said, slamming his fist on the table and gritting his teeth. “Even if I have to feed them in bit by bit, I will hold Amiens until General Gamelin comes south!”

Fifty minutes later, the one company of infantry and seven tanks that de Gaulle had scraped together drove into the city of Amiens. Five minutes later, Amiens surrendered. The commander of the 9th Army shot himself in a basement in the city. The French 9th Army, led by its deputy commander and including some units of the French 10th Armoured Corps, surrendered to General Guderian.

Soon, Guderian, with his team of reporters, entered the ruined city of Amiens under the escort of dozens of German Panther tanks. There, he personally presided over the surrender ceremony of the French defenders. He smiled as he accepted the battle flag of the French 9th Army and the ceremonial sword of the deceased 9th Army commander.

De Gaulle, who had received the news of Amiens’ surrender, was so angry he was speechless for a long time. His attempt to support Amiens by stripping his own front of troops in the hope that Amiens could hold out until General Gamelin came south was completely shattered. What awaited him would be a major German offensive, and he now had no reserve forces to support his defensive line.

In the evening, Rein opened his eyes. The radio in the field hospital was echoing with Führer Akado’s passionate speech celebrating the capture of Amiens. The German army had basically taken control of the rear of the Anglo-French coalition forces. General Rommel’s troops were only a day’s march from the English Channel.